This invention relates to an apparatus for handling paper sheets and the like.
A conventional apparatus for handling paper sheets and the like is disclosed in JP-A-2000-72311.
A paper sheets and the like receiving cassette of this apparatus for handling paper sheets and the like includes a paper sheets and the like introducing mechanism for introducing paper sheets and the like, a paper sheets and the like introducing space for stacking the paper sheets and the like introduced by the paper sheets and the like introducing mechanism, a paper sheets and the like receiving space for storing the paper sheets and the like stacked in the paper sheets and the like introducing space, a paper sheets and the like receiving mechanism for bringing the paper sheets and the like from the introducing space into the receiving space, and a movable partition member for separating the paper sheets and the like introducing space from the receiving space.
The paper sheets and the like are upwardly fed one by one between guides and elastic components by the paper sheets and the like introducing mechanism, and are introduced into the paper sheets and the like introducing space from the lower side thereof, and are temporarily stopped there. Thereafter, the elastic components rotates to push the paper sheets and the like toward the receiving space, and the paper sheets and the like are introduced in an upstanding condition, with their lower edges arranged neatly on a bottom surface guide, and the bills (paper sheets and the like) are not restricted. When the introducing operation is finished, the bills in the introducing space are stored into the receiving space by the receiving mechanism.
In the above conventional technique, there are occasions when the number of paper sheets and the like, which can be introduced, is limited.
For example, when paper sheets and the like, tending to be folded (particularly those having a fold directed toward a bill introducing port and paper sheets and the like, tending to be curled), are introduced in a large amount, the folded portion or the curled portion of the paper sheets and the like projects from the introducing space into an introducing transfer path, and interferes with the subsequent paper sheets and the like, so that an edge portion of the paper sheets and the like is folded, and when the number of such projecting paper sheets and the like increases, the paper sheets and the like to be subsequently introduced, in some cases, tend to jam in the vicinity of the introducing port.
In the case of providing components for preventing a fold and a curl in order to overcome this problem, such fold or curl rises at different positions when the paper sheets and the like to be introduced have different sizes, and the number of the positions, at which these prevention members are provided, increases, and the mechanism becomes complicated, and the production cost increases. And besides, there may be used paper sheets and the like of such a size that a fold or a curl thereof can not be prevented by the prevention member.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for handling paper sheets and the like in which even when paper sheets and the like of different sizes, as well as paper sheets and the like tending to be folded or curled, are introduced in a large amount into the apparatus for handling paper sheets and the like, these paper sheets and the like can be positively stored in an upstanding condition in a limited small space, that is, in a receiving cassette or an inlet/outlet port, and the receiving cassette or the inlet/outlet port is highly-reliable and inexpensive, and is less liable to troubles such as jam of the paper sheets and the like.
According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for handling paper sheets and the like comprising a paper sheets and the like inlet/outlet port through which paper sheets and the like are put into and out of the apparatus, a discrimination portion for discriminating between the paper sheets and the like, a receiving cassette for storing the paper sheets and the like, and a transfer path interconnecting the paper sheets and the like inlet/outlet port, the discrimination portion and the receiving cassette so as to transfer the paper sheets and the like. In the present invention, the receiving cassette comprises introducing means for introducing the paper sheets and the like into the receiving cassette from a lower side thereof, a paper sheets and the like introducing space for temporarily gripping and stacking the paper sheets and the like in an upstanding posture, and push means for pushing the paper sheets and the like, introduced by the introducing means, into the paper sheets and the like introducing space.
With this construction, the paper sheets and the like, pushed into the paper sheets and the like introducing space, can be gripped in an upstanding posture even if these paper sheets and the like tend to be folded or curled, and the folding or curling of the paper sheets and the like can be prevented, and a larger number of paper sheets and the like (bills) can be introduced into a limited space.
There is provided gripping means for gripping lower portions of the paper sheets and the like stacked in an upstanding posture in the paper sheets and the like introducing space. With this construction, the lower edges of the paper sheets and the like are prevented from projecting into the paper sheets and the like introducing port, and therefore are prevented from interfering with a subsequent paper sheets and the like.
The receiving cassette includes a receiving space for storing the paper sheets and the like, disposed in the paper sheets and the like introducing space, in a stacked manner, push means for pushing the paper sheets and the like, stored in the paper sheets and the like introducing space, into the receiving space, and partition means for preventing the paper sheets and the like, stored in the receiving space, from interfering with the paper sheets and the like stored in the paper sheets and the like introducing space.
The receiving cassette includes a paper sheets and the like introducing mechanism for introducing paper sheets and the like into the receiving cassette from the exterior thereof, a paper sheets and the like introducing space for temporarily stacking the paper sheets and the like introduced by the paper sheets and the like introducing mechanism, and a receiving space for storing the paper sheets and the like introduced into the receiving cassette. The paper sheets and the like introducing mechanism comprises rollers, which are provided in the vicinity of a paper sheets and the like introducing port of the receiving cassette, and grip the paper sheets and the like to introduce the same into the receiving cassette from the lower side thereof, and brush rollers which can be rotated about an axis, on which those of the rollers, provided in the paper sheets and the like introducing space, are disposed, and have a plurality of radially-extending brush portions (circumferentially spaced from one another at equal intervals) which hold the paper sheets and the like, brought out of gripping engagement with the rollers, and introduced into the paper sheets and the like introducing space, in an upstanding posture, and partition means, provided in the paper sheets and the like introducing space, can be moved away from the brush rollers, and have an upper end portion slanting toward the brush rollers, and when the brush rollers are rotated, the brush portions are brought into contact with a lower end portion of the partition means to grip the paper sheets and the like, temporarily stacked in the paper sheets and the like introducing space, in an upstanding posture in such a manner that the paper sheets and the like are held in intimate contact with the slanting surface of the partition means.
With this construction, the lower edges of the paper sheets and the like, temporarily stacked in the paper sheets and the like introducing space, are effectively prevented from interfering with the subsequent paper sheets and the like.
There is provided projection prevention means for preventing the lower edges of the paper sheets and the like, stacked in an upstanding posture in the paper sheets and the like introducing space, from projecting into the paper sheets and the like introducing port of the receiving cassette, and with this construction the lower edges of the paper sheets and the like, temporarily stacked in the paper sheets and the like introducing space, are more effectively prevented from interfering with the subsequent paper sheets and the like, and a large number of paper sheets and the like can be introduced into the receiving cassette.